


Heathens

by orphan_account



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drug Use, Foster Care, Josh is an innocent little bean, Josh ran away, Kidnapping, M/M, Rape, Schizophrenia, Slave Trade, Suicide, That's it, Trafficking, Tyler is kinda crazy, Tyler lies a lot, Underage Sex, alcohol use, dark!Tyler, drug-induced rape, fair warning, foster care is safer than street life, innocent!josh, it starts out fine and turns into a train wreck, people die my frens, pretty dark, slaves are a thing, the other relationships and characters are literally in one chapter, then it's just josh and tyler, this isn't fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-23
Packaged: 2018-09-18 05:19:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9369752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Josh should have never run away. Heaven knows in this day and age, with the rampant illegal trafficking of underage kids sold into the black market of sex, drugs, and lies, Josh is lucky when he finds Tyler, a protective, friendly, caring adult who takes him under his wing and helps Josh find his feet again.Josh is lucky... he just doesn't feel that way.





	1. The Run And Go

Josh was on the run. Of course, with nothing to his name except the small backpack full of stolen food from the kitchen of his group home and the few clothes items he could call his own, Josh stood little to no chance on the dangerous streets. Regardless of the measures the government took to eradicate the trafficking of teenagers into the growing pleasure industry, the streets were riddled with prostitutes, slave traders, and bounty hunters who would pick up anyone who appeared to be younger than eighteen and claim that they were runaways.

Josh both appeared younger than the legal age and was, at just sixteen years old. He had pierced his nose in an attempt to look older, but his child-like smile and short stature gave away his true age. He had crawled out of the window of his foster group home only two hours ago, and already he had had to outrun two bounty hunters who let him go after he hopped a few fences.

The bounty hunters were only the beginning of his troubles, however. Although conditions at the foster home had been abysmal, the government liked to keep up the appearance that they protected the children in foster care, so a missing persons ad had gone out soon after his departure. Not wanting Josh to fall into the trafficking market, patrol cars slowly rolled up and down the streets of the city, keeping an eye out for him. Josh had had to duck behind quite a few bushes to avoid notice of their roving spotlights in the night.

Further into the city, it got easier to avoid police cars and harder to avoid slave traders. Unfortuantely, Josh had not planned out his escape very well, because he had no idea where to go once he crawled out of his window and left the group home in the dust. He found himself ambling (carefully, stealthily) towards his high school and the surrounding areas, hoping they would be safer.

He was doing fine until he bumped right into a guy who came fast around a corner, knocking Josh to the ground.


	2. HeavyDirtySoul

Josh scrambled away from the man, terrified that he had walked straight into a bounty hunter and would be kidnapped into some van and forced to... he didn't even know what. He had heard stories, but at the foster homes, adults were always nearby and never let the kids talk amongst themselves for long. Although Josh had been warned against the evils of the slave trade, he frankly knew very little about life, love, sex, and the world in general. It was common knowledge that the foster kids were the most sheltered, and therefore most profitable coming into the slave trade because of their innocence. 

The man looked down at Josh in surprise, his eyebrows shooting up in concern. He had tanned skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. Although Josh knew next to nothing about the slave trade, something told him that bounty hunters looked nowhere near as kind as the stranger in front of him, but Josh still balked away from him. 

"I am so sorry," the man apologized, holding a hand out to Josh, who flinched and then took it warily. "I really am sorry," he said again, once Josh was standing and had inched a few feet away from him. "I'm not gonna hurt you or anything, I promise. I'm Tyler." 

The man -  Tyler -  held out his hand tentatively. Josh stared from Tyler's face to his hand for a few seconds before he slowly reached out to shake hands.

"I'm Josh," he whispered quietly, taking his chances and hoping upon hope that he could trust his gut. Tyler smiled widely, eyes crinkling until they were almost shut, and he repeated after Josh.

"Josh! I've always liked that name. It's nice to meet you, Josh. Forgive me for being nosy, but isn't it a little late for you to be out and about? It's not really safe out here," Tyler told him, gesturing down the street and then beginning to walk. Josh followed him hesitantly, falling into step next to him after a few seconds. 

"I'm not that young," Josh defended, lying as he said, "I'm eighteen." Tyler just laughed.

"Sure, and I was born yesterday. I'm nineteen, and you do not look a year younger than me," Tyler told him honestly, causing Josh to laugh sheepishly and sigh.

"Yeah... I'm actually sixteen. But I ran away from the group home..." Josh stopped and bit his tongue, angry at himself for disclosing such dangerous information. Fortunately, Tyler did not skip a beat. He just kept walking, and the fact did not seem to impact him at all. 

"I would run away too. I've heard how awful those places are." Josh just nodded, still kicking himself for opening his big mouth. Just as the two of them came to the corner of the block, a van pulled up next to them and two guys jumped out. Josh hid behind Tyler, terrified and certain they were there for him. He was not mistaken.

"Hey, Joseph, I think this one ran away from a group home. Would you be terribly torn up if we took him in for the reward? My boss is flipping his shit for this one," one of the men said to Tyler, looking at Josh like he was a piece of choice steak, medium rare. Or, that's what Josh felt like. Tyler folded his arms, refusing to look back at Josh, who had whispered a desperate plea to him as soon as the van pulled over.

"I'm afraid this one is mine. Finders, keepers, after all," Tyler sung, shrugging at the two men. Josh gasped quietly, beginning to back away from Tyler, but Tyler turned and threw him a wink over his shoulder and Josh paused, willing to wait the situation out. Josh knew that if he ran, the people in the van would most likely pick him up, and Tyler could do nothing about it. For some reason, Josh was beginning to trust Tyler. He cursed the group home for keeping him so naive and innocent. 

The guys got back in the van, and Tyler turned to Josh with a smile. 

"Ready?"

"For what?" Josh inquired, still nervous.

"To head home? Or, to my apartment. I guess I just assumed you wouldn't mind staying with me for a while, since I just saved your ass and you probably won't be sleeping anywhere with a roof over your head tonight if I don't invite you back to my place," Tyler explained. Josh knew it was a bad idea; everything that had to do with common sense screamed at him to run the opposite direction. 

"Please."

That was a week ago. Josh had been living with Tyler ever since, comfortably settled in his guest room. Tyler had been wonderful: kind, helpful, protective. He never made Josh feel awkward, nervous, or like a burden. Of course, Josh was wary at first, but now he felt at ease with his new friend. 


	3. Heathens

"Hey, Josh?" Tyler walked into the doorway of Josh's room, where he was laying on the bed with a book. Josh looked up, smiling at Tyler and laying his book down next to him.

"What's up?" 

"I'm going to a party. I just wanted to let you know that I'll be out for a while... unless you wanted to come?" Tyler offered, leaning against the door jam and raising an eyebrow at Josh. Josh sat up, grinning.

"Really? You'll let me come with you?" He was very excited, causing Tyler to laugh and step into the room, sitting on the edge of Josh's bed. 

"Yeah, but I have to warn you that pretty much all of my friends are a little... crazy. You gotta take it really slow, make it look like you belong and don't draw any attention to yourself. Don't talk to anyone right away, just wait for them to ask you who you came with. Once you mention me, you should be fine, but they'll know you're new because new people don't come along very often. You got that?" Tyler asked, looking Josh sincerely in the eye. Josh nodded, still excited about the party. "Remember all of it?" 

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Your friends are scary heathens. I'll be fine!" Josh laughed, pulling a stray pair of Converse from under the bed. 

"Laugh all you want, but you don't know the half of the abused. I know you came from the foster system, and that has some bad stuff in it, but these people have seen - and done - much worse. Just remember that, would you? And you'll probably want a sweatshirt," Tyler added, eyeing Josh's tank top and basketball shorts.

"Yes, mom," Josh joked, and then looked around. "But I actually don't have a sweatshirt." Tyler just rolled his eyes and pulled Josh off the bed, stopping by his bedroom to grab a sweatshirt and toss it to Josh before heading out the door. 

The party was a short walk down to an old abandoned warehouse that had been converted into a sort of apartment building/club. The guys who owned it, Tyler told Josh, were named Brendon and Dallon, and no matter how ridiculously gay they acted, they were not dating.

"Don't even ask, I swear. They'll never forgive you." Josh just giggled, excited to get to the party and see what it was all about. "Oh, one more thing," Tyler said, stopping Josh before they could walk into the door. "Do not, in any way, shape, or form, accept a drink or food from guys named Pete or Mikey. They are dating, and they have no qualms with messing with fresh meat - which is what you are. So be careful." Once he had finished talking, he opened the door for Josh and then they headed inside. 

Inside the unassuming building, it was dark, smokey, and stuffy. The only lights were party lights that were flashing from speakers and strobe lights. There were many people, dancing and talking and drinking, and Josh tried to act calm and not nervous. Tyler led the two of them further into the building, going to the makeshift kitchen area and pouring both of them drinks. Josh took his thankfully and took a few sips, grimacing at the strange taste and glaring down at the burning liquid.

Tyler walked on, causing Josh to jog to catch up. They headed towards the back of the warehouse, maneuvering around people. The two of them came to a door with a counter next to it, where a guy was sitting. Tyler walked up to the counter, pulling something out of his waistband. The guy behind the counter put out his hand, and Josh's eyes widened as Tyler placed a heavy black gun in it. The guy behind the counter looked pointedly at Josh, who shook his head adamantly.

"I - I don't -" he stammered, still shocked. Tyler just grabbed his hand, shook his head slightly at the man, and then pulled him through the door.

"Come meet my friends," Tyler said, ignoring Josh's gaping mouth and stunned expression. The only thing Josh could think was  I thought I knew Tyler -  who is he? 

Through the door, a large group of guys sat around in a few couches situated in a large circle. Many of them were smoking, and there was a heavy haze in the air. They were all laughing and talking loudly, and in the middle of the couches was a sight that shook Josh to the core. A young, naked boy - a slave - was leashed to one of the couch legs. A larger man was on top of him, doing unexplainable movements that Josh thought would be hurting the slave. 

As Tyler and Josh entered the room, the attention of the people in it was split between them and the spectacle in the middle of the room. The two people closest, a lanky man with long blond hair and a shorter, more built man with black hair turned to see them. The dark haired one grinned, standing to give Tyler a hug and eye Josh.

"I knew you'd get a boytoy eventually," he said, winking at Tyler. Tyler snickered at Josh's blush and then stepped forward to stand more in front of Josh.

"Actually, he's just a friend. Can't say the same for Austin though. Is that a new one?" Tyler asked, gesturing towards the slave. The kid had ginger hair, pale skin, and tears running down his face as Austin groaned and then rolled off of him. Josh balked as he saw that Austin was not wearing clothing on his bottom half. Whispered rumors of what happened to slaves occurred to him, and he shuddered, grabbing onto Tyler's sleeve lightly. His surprise at Tyler's gun was long gone, replaced by equal curiosity and horror. 

Tyler pulled Josh forward, following Pete who sat back down next to the lanky boy and kissed him sweetly on the lips. Josh sat tentatively next to the blond, who blushed as Pete pulled away and glanced at Josh curiously.

"So you're with Tyler, huh? How's that going?" he asked pointedly, raising his eyebrows with a concerned look on his face. Josh frowned, unsure of how to take the question.

"Fine?" he replied, although it was more of a question than an answer. The guy quickly neutralized his expression as he gauged Josh's reply.

"Well, welcome then. My name is Mikey. Care for a pick-me-up? I think Pete has some pills," Mikey offered, beginning to reach over to Pete.

"No!" Josh cried, remembering Tyler's warning. "I mean, I, uh... I'm fine. I don't need anything now. I'm not much of a drinker, and I tend to steer clear of drugs," he added hurriedly, trying to cover up his outburst. Mikey just shrugged.

"Suit yourself."

"Not much of a drinker? Did Tyler bring a pansy?" One of the other guys from around the circle leaned forward, his long, curly hair hanging into his face. The man next to him placed a hand on his thigh, leaning forward to kiss his neck.

"Leave Josh alone, Ben. We all know how submissive Danny is, and none of us give you shit for it," Tyler spoke up, referring to the guy glued to Ben. Danny ignored them and continued. Unfortunately, Josh had now attracted all of the attention in the room. The man who had been on top of the slave - Austin - was back on the couch, next to another guy who looked like he and Austin could be twins. Next to them were two dark haired guys who had been chatting when Josh and Tyler walked in. Brendon and Dallon, the owners of the place, had come in before Tyler and Josh, but Tyler had pointed them out as they made their way to the room they were in currently, so Josh recognized them. The slave laid motionless on the floor. 

"I'm not a - a pansy," Josh defended, stuttering nervously. All of them laughed. 

"Okay, then drink this," one of the dark haired men offered.

"Oli..." Tyler began to protest, but Josh took the red solo cup, peering into it. The liquid was clear and unassuming, but it had a strong smell. Josh looked around, avoiding Tyler's eyes, and then knocked it back in one gulp. He coughed for a minute and then, eyes watering, glared around the circle.

"I'm not a pansy" was the last thing he remembered saying before he slumped back into the couch and lost consciousness. 


	4. Doubt

When Josh woke up he was back in his bed at Tyler's apartment, completely naked. When he sat up, he felt a dull ache in the small of his back and his jaw was sore, and he had a few bruises on his legs that he could not remember getting. Sighing, he assumed that he had gotten drunk at the party and had run into stuff. He was a little nervous, however. He could not get the image of Tyler handing over his gun or the slave. He still could not understand what Austin was doing on top of the boy.

Josh got dressed carefully, moving gingerly to protect his sore limbs and back, and he massaged his jaw carefully. Once he was dressed, he shuffled slowly to the kitchen to get water for his sore throat. Tyler was sitting on the couch, so Josh tiptoed behind him. He remembered Tyler protecting him, but Josh was not sure what happened after he passed out. Something in the back of his head was screaming at him to run, to run and never look back. 

Tyler walked into the kitchen just as Josh was draining his glass. Josh set it down lightly on the counter and then inched into the corner of the counter, further away from Tyler. 

"What's up?" he asked nonchalantly, hoping to escape back into his room.

"Are you okay?" Tyler responded, cocking his head at Josh in confusion as Josh timidly refused to make eye contact. "What's wrong? You aren't... scared of me, are you?" Tyler's voice wavered and Josh looked up, surprised to see Tyler close to tears.

"What? No, no, Tyler! Don't cry," Josh pleaded, feeling intensely guilty. He was back in the apartment, wasn't he? He was safe and alive and Tyler had taken him off the street. He had no reason to treat Tyler like this. "I'm not scared of you. I'm just tired and a little sore, is all. I guess I partied a little too hard," Josh joked, smiling and stepping towards Tyler to hug him carefully. Tyler sniffed for a second before hugging him back, wrapping him in his arms and resting his chin on top of Josh's head. 

Josh was not entirely sure, but he had a feeling that he was beginning to understand what love felt like.


	5. Screen

After the strange morning, Tyler had to go out to run some errands. He told Josh to expect him back in the afternoon, which left Josh with a couple hours to himself. Although he and Tyler had 'kissed and made up,' so to speak, Josh was still curious as to why Tyler had a gun, and why his friends were so shady. Taking advantage of Tyler's absence, Josh quickly began to snoop around the apartment.

Beginning in the living room of the small apartment, Josh went through drawers and a bookshelf. All he found were dusty books, bills shoved haphazardly in piles all around, and a couple beer bottles. He pulled the cushions off of the couch, where he found the gun that he recognized as the one Tyler handed over at the party. Josh picked it up for a second, felt its cool heaviness, and then threw it back down where he found it. 

Josh moved to his own room. Because he had very few items of clothing, he had never needed to use the closet and so it had remained untouched. Opening the squeaky sliding door, Josh was met with stale air and a few boxes stacked up. Rifling through them, he found old clothes, knick-nacks, and other random things. Unimpressed, he looked on, noticing a small shoe box put up on the top shelf. It took him a few tries, jumping up to reach it, but finally he got it down. The contents shifted slightly, and it was relatively heavy.

Opening the lid, Josh was taken aback by what was inside. He blushed as he pulled out a rather large dildo; Josh may have been innocent, but he recognized sex toys when he saw them. There was a pair of leather-lined hand cuffs, a strange rubber item that looked like a ring, and a sealed bottle that read 'pleasure gel.' Josh stared at the items, abashed, feeling equal parts confused and intrigued. 

Josh was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he did not even notice that Tyler had gotten home and was standing in the doorway of Josh's room, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"I was wondering where those went," Tyler said finally, snapping Josh out of his thoughts and causing him to jolt, sending the box flying, along with its contents. 

"Oh! I was just... um..." Josh trailed off, blushing at Tyler and collecting the items back into their box. He stood slowly, holding the box awkwardly and looking up at Tyler. "Sorry." 

"What were you looking for?"

"What? Oh, looking for...? I wasn't, I just, uh..." Josh mumbled, averting his eyes and tripping on his words. 

"Really?" Tyler raised an eyebrow at Josh, more amused than mad. Josh's eyes watered and he shuffled his feet in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. I was looking around because you had a gun and it made me really nervous so I wanted to see if there were any other scary things here," Josh confessed, hanging his head. He fully expected Tyler to begin to yell at him, be angry with him, even kick him out on the curb. Instead, Tyler began to laugh. Josh looked up quickly, wiping his eye with one sleeve as Tyler giggled at him.

"I'm not mad! I would be curious too, don't worry about it," Tyler assured him, causing Josh to crack a watery smile and laugh as well. Shaking his head, Josh turned to the closet and attempted to reach up and put the box back. 

After he had struggled for a few seconds he felt Tyler press up behind him, reaching over his head to place the box on its shelf. Once it was up, Tyler stayed there, letting his arms come down and hug Josh. Josh leaned back into him for a second before growing bolder, spinning so they were front to front and looking up at Tyler with a shy expression. 

"You okay?" Tyler asked, brushing a stray tear from Josh's cheek. Josh did not answer.

Instead, Josh stood on his tip-toes and pressed his lips to Tyler's softly.


	6. Slowtown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things get rather explicit here
> 
> don't say I didn't warn you

Tyler responded slowly to the kiss, carefully moving his lips with Josh's. After a few seconds, Josh broke away, his face reddening.

"I'm sorry, I... I don't know why I did that," Josh tried to explain, more surprised at himself than at the fact that Tyler had actually kissed back. Tyler answered by kissing Josh again, this time more forcefully than before. 

Josh melted into the kiss, clinging to Tyler's shirt and not questioning anything when Tyler reached up to slip a pill into his mouth. When he felt the capsule enter his mouth, Josh pulled away and cocked his head at Tyler in a silent question, but Tyler just nodded encouragingly, watching as Josh swallowed it and then reconnecting their lips. Josh figured it was some sort of drug, ecstasy or some other recreational substance.

Josh was wrong.

He thought nothing of it as Tyler maneuvered him to his bed, laying him down as they kissed hungrily. He began to be concerned, however, when a tingling sensation started traveling up his legs, followed by the inability to move them. When the strange tingling sensation began to move to his whole body, Josh pulled away and looked up at Tyler in confusion.

"Tyler? What did you give me?" Tyler just shushed him with a kiss, and Josh was horrified to find that he could not move to protest. The tingling sensation had stopped, leaving him paralyzed but still sensative to the way that Tyler's body was pressed against his own, the way Tyler's tongue was trailing down his neck to the hollow of his throat. Tyler's eyes were dilated fully, and he did not seem himself as he answered.

"It's a paralyzing agent," Tyler told Josh as he continued to kiss his neck, lifting the smaller boy to remove his shirt quickly. "You won't be able to move, but you can feel everything. It's rather new, and very hard to get, but I'm glad it's working so well. Last time you took a blackout drug, and that was nowhere near as fun as this is going to be." Unfortuantely, Josh could not respond; he just had to let terror wash over his body, which was currently being undressed by Tyler. 

Moving quickly, Tyler pushed himself up off the bed, taking a moment to survey Josh's naked body with a slight smile on his face. Whistling cheerily, he walked over to the closet while shedding his own clothing, pulling the box down from the top shelf and then walking softly over to the bed, sitting down next to Josh so that he could see what Tyler was doing. Opening the box, Tyler pulled out the rubber ring and slid it carefully down Josh's cock. Josh whined, the sensation incredible even if he did not want it. 

Tyler then pulled out a tube with no label, stroking his own cock slowly while pouring clear gel from the tube over it. He worked himself for a while longer before turning to Josh with the dildo. Tyler moved methodically, slipping one, then two, and then three fingers into Josh to stretch him. Josh moaned weakly as Tyler assaulted him, unable to make any other sounds of protest and betrayed by his body. His cock was leaking and completely hard, egged on by occasional tugs from Tyler. 

Josh watched with wide eyes as Tyler brought the dildo towards him, letting out as loud a moan as he could muster as Tyler pushed it into him. It burned, and Josh felt tears gather in the corners of his eyes. Tyler moved it slowly in and out until it stopped hurting, and then he found Josh's prostate. Just as Josh began to cry from the pressure building in his groin, hindered by the strange ring that Tyler had put on him, the dildo was removed and Tyler was pouring the clear gel on himself again. 

Josh's mind was reeling. As Tyler suspended himself above Josh, pushing into his already abused hole slowly, Josh closed his eyes, tears slipping out of them. To add insult to injury, Tyler moved slowly, sensually, carefully, lovingly. Like they were in love, and like Josh wasn't drugged against his will. Somehow, that made it hurt even more. Josh turned his head to the side as Tyler leaned towards him, kissing along his jaw between moans and pants, and began to whisper in Josh's ear.

"You're so beautiful like this," he moaned, bottoming out and grinding into Josh. Josh let out a choked sob, halfway between horrified at what was happening and overcome by the sensation of not being able to reach his release.

Soon, however, Tyler was crying out and pushing harder into Josh. Josh felt Tyler jerk and then come inside him, pulling out with a gasp and rolling next to Josh. Lazily he reached over and pumped Josh's cock until Josh was sobbing with oversensitivity. When Josh felt like he was going to die from the sensation, Tyler slipped the ring off and then waited while Josh convulsed slightly, his body taking over. Finally, he came with a high whine and then laid still, unable to move or cover himself. 

Tyler rolled towards him, smiling softly and carressing his hair. Josh squeezed his eyes shut, sobbing still. Tyler shuffled on the bed and then pulled Josh into his lap.

"Josh? Look at me, love," Tyler commanded softly. Josh refused, crying harder and squeezing his eyes shut as tight as he could. "Look at me!" Tyler yelled at him, shaking him slightly. 

Josh refused.

"God damn it!" Tyler shouted, throwing Josh stomach down on the bed. "No one sees me, no one has faces, no one is safe," he ranted. Josh heard a cap pop again and shuddered internally. "Every time I try to fall in love with someone, fucking Blurryface has to come along! Why are you here?" 

At hearing Tyler's voice changing from angry to scared, Josh tried to look at Tyler. He still did not have control over his body, though, so he stayed put and hoped that everything would end. 

"I hate you. I hate you. I hate you!" Tyler screamed, angry again. With no warning, Tyler slammed back into Josh, pulling him to the edge of the bed and pounding into him relentlessly. 

After what felt like hours, Josh passed out. Tyler was still in him.


	7. Save

When Josh woke up, he was still naked, although he had been tucked under his covers. The sheets had been changed as well, and Josh wondered how long he had been asleep. Shifting slightly in the bed brought all of the horrible memories rushing back to him, and he stifled a sob with a fist in his mouth. Just then, Tyler walked into the doorway.

"Josh? Are you okay?" Tyler had a look of concern on his face that mocked Josh. Suddenly Josh was reminded of the way that Tyler had used him, imitating intimacy. His eyes filled with terror and he shuffled under the covers, hoping he could wake up and it would all be a dream. "Josh, what the hell! What happened?" Josh just burrowed deeper, ignoring the pain in his back to get away from Tyler. Instead of giving up, Tyler just threw the covers off Josh, caught off guard by Josh's nakedness. 

Instead of being embarrassed, Josh just curled up into a ball and cried, terrified of Tyler and wanting everything to be alright. 

"No more, no more, no more," Josh chanted hoarsely, clutching his knees and flinching any time he heard Tyler move. Tyler began to cry as well, grabbing clothes and then leaving them next to Josh. 

"Josh, Josh! You're okay! I think you had a bad dream, but I'm here now and I'll protect you," Tyler promised him, voice heavy and choked with tears. Josh looked up at him incredulously, face red and blotchy. "It's gonna be okay."

"No it's not!" Josh screamed, surprised at how loud the words had come out. "Nothing's gonna be okay! I - I - you... no!" Josh sat up as fast as he could, pulling on the shirt and sweatpants and then scooting away from Tyler on the bed. Tyler looked at him in awe, pain and confusion filling his eyes as he watched Josh.

"What happened? Why are you mad at me, Josh? I took you in, I gave you a home, I saved you from those slave traders on the street! I'm trying to be your friend," Tyler finished pathetically, eyes red and swollen. "I just wanted a normal friend." His voice was quiet and heartbroken, and he looked mournfully at Josh for a few seconds before standing up and walking out of the room. 

Josh was so confused by the whole ordeal. He had been certain of his feelings when he woke up, terrified and broken, and now? Tyler either did not remember what had happened, or Josh had hallucinated the whole thing. Remembering that he could be in a much worse situation, Josh began to change the events he remembered in his mind, pinning it as a horrible nightmare. Again he felt an intense wave of guilt wash over him for treating Tyler like he did, and he ignored his pain to pad out to the living room where Tyler was curled on the couch, weeping bitterly. 

"Tyler?" he asked softly, sitting down next to the older boy's head and hesitantly putting his hand on Tyler's shoulder. Tyler looked up, wiping his nose on the back of his hand and sitting up slowly. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I really appreciate that you're letting me live here, and I didn't mean to shout. I guess I just had a really bad dream, and I took it out on you," Josh explained, trying to convince himself more than convince Tyler. Tyler rubbed his eyes again, and then nodded.

"Thank you, and I'm sorry you had a bad dream."

"I think you're my best friend," Josh told him, smiling shyly at Tyler, who beamed back. Tyler pulled him into a hug happily.

"Oh, I forgot! I have to go see Brendon because he told me that he was thinking about remodeling the warehouse and opening it as a legitimate club, and he wanted my opinion on a bunch of things. I probably won't be back until late, is that okay with you? Are you going to be alright here alone for today? It is already past noon," Tyler asked Josh, pulling a pair of Vans out from under the couch. Josh nodded, glad that he would have some time to himself for a while to think about everything that was going on. 

Just as Tyler was leaving, he stuck his head back into the apartment and said, "Feel free to look around, although I don't think you'll find anything more exciting than that box in your closet." With that, Tyler winked and closed the door.


	8. Anathema

Tyler's last statement left Josh's mind reeling. If the box existed, was the rest of what he remembered actually real? Josh had to sit still for a second, squeezing his eyes shut and shuddering. All of a sudden, he recalled the slave at the party Tyler had taken him to. Austin's actions did not seem so foreign anymore, and Josh found himself running to the shower, taking extra time to scrub every inch of his skin. 

Once he had finished showering, Josh dressed in his most comfortable clothes and then went around the apartment, looking for evidence to prove or disprove his 'dream.' First he went to the box in his closet; the items were all there - except the ring. Frowning, Josh looked around the room. His heart sank when he found the small piece of rubber under the bed. Walking to Tyler's room, his suspicions were confirmed when he found the old bedding that was on his bed when...  it  happened. It had stains on them, and some of them looked like blood. Josh threw them back in the hamper and backed out of the room, mind reeling.

So Tyler had lied, and Josh had been right all along. Josh wasn't sure he had wanted to know.

Josh did know, however, that he could not stay with Tyler, just to be used and abused again. Going to the couch, he found the gun that Tyler had turned in at that party. Seeing it reminded him of the way he had woken up, and he knew in the pit of his stomach that Tyler had taken advantage of him that night as well. Josh had just been too naive and innocent and ignorant to know the signs. And the sudden realization of that fact left Josh stunned and in a spiral of self-loathing. 

Eyeing the gun, Josh backed so that he was sitting on the slim windowsill, across from the door. Carefully avoiding the trigger, he played with the weapon until he accidentally popped the magazine out. Examining it, he noticed that only one bullet remained. Nervously, Josh slid it back into the gun and gulped. He knew he would only get one chance at what he planned to do.

Of course, his first plan had been to shoot Tyler first, and then himself. Tyler was a danger to society, and Josh hated him for manipulating him and using him so horribly. Of course, that would leave Josh to find another way to kill himself, and he could not find the heart to go out any other way. He hated himself for it, but Josh was scared of heights, falling, and blood. He would get one change to shoot himself, and that would be it. 

Tyler was out for a long time, and Josh found that trying to convince himself to kill himself was exhausting, so he inadvertently fell asleep leaning against the windowpane. He was only awoken by the sound of a key jingling in the door, and by that time it was dark outside yet again. 

Tyler came in cheerily, kicking his shoes off right inside the door and whistling on his way into the kitchen. Josh had hurriedly sat up, scrambling to pick up the gun that had fallen to the floor and train it on Tyler. Tyler, blissfully ignorant of the situation, practically  skipped  into the kitchen, calling for Josh in between segments of the tune he was whistling. Any second thoughts at Josh's plans left his head as he remembered what Tyler had done to him. 

"Josh?" Tyler called, walking back out into the living room with an apple in his hand. He looked down towards the bedrooms and then froze when he noticed Josh, who was pointing Tyler's own gun straight at him. "Josh? What's going on? Why are you pointing a gun at me? Josh, put that down right now," Tyler ordered, holding a hand out to Josh as if to calm him. "You should be careful, don't you know those can kill people?" 

Josh laughed dryly, hands quivering slightly as he told Tyler, "I'm quite aware. That's what this one's going to do in just a second. For now, don't you dare tell me what to do. How dare you even think for a second that you can just use me like you did and then guilt me into comforting you? What kind of monster are you?" Josh's voice had risen, and he stopped talking sharply, looking away while gritting his teeth. Tyler just frowned in confusion, taking a few steps towards Josh.

"Josh, listen, I don't even know what you're talking about! If you could just put the gun down, maybe we could talk about this..." Tyler trailed off and stopped walking towards Josh as Josh stood up abruptly.

"Don't you take one more step," Josh warned, warily glaring at Tyler. "You're going to play innocent? That's cute," he remarked, bitterly spitting more words at Tyler as he said, "Here I thought I was the naive one. How dare you abuse me - no,  rape  me - and then pretend like nothing happened? I was dumb, Tyler, I am young and innocent and I didn't even know what sex was until now! I thought I was hallucinating, that I had a bad dream! You tricked me into thinking that I was the monster, scared of you and thinking the worst when  you took me in!  No! You took me in for what? To be your own personal slave? How dare you." 

Tyler stared at Josh, hurt and confusion and surprise washing over his face as he tried to take in everything Josh was saying. He stumbled backwards, falling onto the couch, and he stared at Josh in mute horror for a few seconds until the words began to tumble out of his mouth.

"I never meant... I only... I wasn't in my right mind, Josh, I'm never in my right mind! Everything is everyone is blurry and I can't see and  he  comes and fucks everything up!" Tyler rambled, tears beginning to pour down his face as he pleaded with Josh. 

"Shut up," Josh told him calmly, his voice steady and quiet. "Don't you dare try that again. You're sick, and you're insane, and I refuse to let you manipulate me again." 

Josh put both hands on the gun, aiming it straight at Tyler's head. Tyler sobbed, cringing and closing his eyes, whispers of prayers on his lips. 

And with that, Josh turned the gun to himself and pulled the trigger. 


End file.
